Budget Shopping in Paris

When your temporary Parisian abode (in my case, Hotel Castille on Rue Cambon) is next door to Chanel and a few blocks away from Miu Miu and Givenchy, finding something suitable to wear to a fashion show should all be part of the fun. But when the challenge is to find it for less than $100 at discounted establishment Monoprix, things take on a whole new turn. I’m no stranger to label-free shopping, but on this budget I’d rather not parade the wares before that imposing wall of bloggers who form a “dress assessment team” outside every show, ready to upload and comment on any and every look they see.

Monoprix is a sort of kindred spirit with the non-designer section of Century 21, in that it interprets and often transcends trends in its own inimitable, wallet-friendly way. But here I am, confronted with racks of uninspired V-neck sweaters, denim miniskirts, bulky camel cardigans (camel! That almost gave me a rush of hope) and trenches (way too obvious, but an improvement and fallback plan). I do three persistent laps of the womenswear level at the Avenue de l’Opéra store, sorting through the faux-silk drawstring-waist dresses, as if some gem might be hidden in between, and looking for a flash of Haider Ackermann–style inspiration on how to rip one up into something more distressed and cutting-edge. And then I spot it: a billowing silk blouse with a single-breasted pocket in a familiar shade of deep maroon-pink—the color of my mother’s Chanel lipstick during the eighties and not unlike the rose-blush Bottega Veneta shirt from Fall 2010, all for $45. And opposite that? An inoffensive pair of city shorts in uniform Parisian black, just a few inches shy of resort’s Bermuda length, for the same price.

The Stella McCartney show is my testing ground. I feel more than a little self-conscious, but I relax as the show begins and nothing even remotely humiliating has happened as a result of my state of dress. Then it happens: On my way out, four Japanese bloggers snap away and, pens poised, ask for a breakdown of what I’m wearing. Monoprix may not be Fashion Week–worthy in its hometown, but it may soon be big in Japan.